Retort



EJE. QUINKER.

RETORT- APPLICATION mzo an 24, 1920. 1,385,470. atent d uly 26; 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I INVENTOR. K [Ton/fl Z. fla/norii ATTORNEY.

E. E. QUINK-ER.

RETORT.

mwucnmu FILED MAY 24, 1.920.

Patented July 26, 1921.

2 SHEET-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR. [Zn/fly f Q0/0072?? ATTORNEY.

UNITED STAT E PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN E. QUIN KER, OF VALDOSTA, GEORGIA.

Ramona.

Application filed May 24,

tinguished from the bottom thereof so that,

the tar, heavy oils and like matters extracted from the wood will not come in direct contact with those plates of the retort WhlCll are intensel heated, thus preventing the burning of t e tar and other valuable 011s.

A further object is to provide a construction of this character wherein those side walls'of the retort which would ordinarily be subjected to the direct heat of the fire are protected by shield plates supported in such way as to be readily removable and replaceable, thus preventing the burmng out of the retort at relatively short lntervals and permitting the shield plates, when burned out,

to be readily withdrawn and new shield plates put in place without delay.

A further object'is to so construct the retort that it will be extremely effective in practice, thoroughly protected so that the heat will be conserved, and in WhIOh the heat is directed against the retort 1n the most effective manner. 1

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My inventlon is illustrated 1n the accompanying drawings, where1n:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a retortand furnace usedfor the dry distillation of wood, the retort and furnace being partly broken awa 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fio. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of two of the shield plates;

Fig. 4; is a sectional view on the same l1nes as Fig. 2 but showing a modlfied form of retort.

Referring to these drawings, and particularlyto Figs. 1 and 2, t will be seen that the retort proper, which is deslgnated 10, 1s cylindrical in general form. Que end of the retort is closed by a door, which is not lllllS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 26*, 1921. 1920. Serial No. 383,884.

trated in detail and which forms the subject matter of a co-pending application executed of even date herewith, The other end of the retort is closed by thebrick wall 11 of a furnace. The retort is supported on a brick base 12 and the upper portion of the retort 1s covered by a. layer of brickwork or like mater1al'13 which extends over the top and partly down the sides of the retort. Lead- 1ng from the furnace is a stack 14, and extending from the bottom ofthe retort-is the tar outlet pipe 15, and extending from the top of the retort is the outlet pipe 16 for the discharge of light vapors. This outlet pipe 16 is adapted to lead to .a condensing worm of the usual character, while the tar outlet s adapted to lead to any suitable receptacle 1nto which the tar or heavy matters are discharged;

Extending upward and inward from the lateral margins of the brick base 12 are the arches 17 which are lined internally with fire brick 18. Each arch 17 and its lining brick 18 extends over a furnace space 19, there being one on each side of the retort, from which descends an ash pit 2.0. Where the upper end of the arch 17 joins the retort, there is provided a lpngitudinally extending angle iron 21 which is as long as the retort and which extends outward and then has a downwardly extending flange 22, and an angle iron 23 of the same character as the angle iron 21, extends along the retort and is attached thereto or otherwise mounted at the junction of the brickwork base 12 with the retort. The flanges of these angle irons form gu1des for the reception of a plurality of shield plates 24 which are preferably of heavy metal and which are curved to con= form to the curvature of the retort and which, except as hereinafter provided, lie

against the wall of the retort so that the wall of the retort where it is exposed to the direct action of the fire is very thick and heavy. This construction permits the ready removal of these shield plates and the replacement thereof. Of course, I have shown a p1urality of shield plates within these channel irons. or guide irons 21, but it will be understood that these sections may be of any desired size and that the shield might be formed of one section extending the entire length of the retort and removable or replaceable as a whole.

In Fig. 4 I show amodification of the construction illustrated in the drawings, wherein the retort is formed with upper and lower sections 10 and 10 connected by lateral, relatively heavy boiler plate sections 10, tov

which the-angle irons 21 and 23 are at tached, and which angle irons hold the shield that they can be readily removed.

. patch the retort. so

the heat would burn up It will be noted that one-third of the bottom of this retort is incased in masonry 12. The fire passages 19 are 36" deep and the shield plates have a height greater than 36". The retort is thus protected on its sides and the shield plates can be replaced by simply sliding the old ones out and new ones put in place. This change can be made in five minutes without the removal of any masonry and without the necessity of entirely cooling the retort, thus saving considerable lost time every time that a section of shield plate is replaced. The object of preventing the fire from being directed against thebottomof the retort is to prevent the intense heat coming in direct contact with the lowest portion of the retort wherein the melted tar and heavy oils gather. If heat were directed directly against this portion of the retort, the most valuable products of the wood distillation, that is the valuable oils which flow along with the tar and are afterward separated 'by refiningthe tar; It would, of course, be possible to place the shield plates along the bottom of theretorts and along the sides of the retorts and the fire against the bottom, but in this case the fire would have to be "cry slow and light in order to keep from burning up the valuable oils. Thus it would take several days to work off a charge of wood. By in- .tensely heating the side of the retort and keeping the bottom cool by the brickwork 12, I'provide a retort which will work ofi a charge of wood in approximately twelve hours without any loss of valuable oils or tar. With these shield plates it takes from about twelve to fourteen months before the retort wall behipd the shield plates burns out. Where the shield plates are not used and the furnace is fired directly against theretort at the sides, a charge of wood ma be distilled in about 8 hours, but-the wal of theretort will be burned out in about two weeks. Shield plates which are made of 1% cast iron plates will last for many months, depending on the thickness of the plates, and then readily replaced with new shield plates without having to replace or for the sections 10 of the retort which permits the retort to last verymuch longerbefore the necessity of repairing the retort arises, and then the retort may be readily repaired by the insertion of new sections 10"."

In that form" of retort shown in Fig. 4, heavy boiler plate is usedon each side and defining with the base longitudinally extending fire passages, and

shield plates of heat conducting material disposed along the opposite sides of the retort and coinciding with said fire passages.

2. In a retort construction, a base of refractory material, a retort supported upon the base, the middle portion of the retort being protected by the base and the base extending laterally on each side beyond the retort, arches extending upward from the base toward the upper portion of the retort on each side and defining with the base longitudinally extending fire passages, and shield plates of heat conducting material disposed along the opposite sides of the retort and coinciding with said fire passages, said shield plates being formed in sections re: movable from one end of the retort structure.

3. In a retort construction, a base of refractory material, a retort supported upon the base, the middle portion of the retort being protected by the base and the base extending laterally on each side beyond the retort, arches extending upward from the base toward the upper portion of the retort base toward the upper portion of the retort on each side and defining with the base longitudinally extending fire assages, irons attached to the retort on each side thereof and disposed at the junction of said arches with the retort and at the junction of the base with the retort, and shield plates disposed in said irons and held in place thereby against the opposite walls of the retort.

4. Ina retort structure, a cylindrical retort proper, a base upon which the retort is mounted, said base covering the bottom of the retort and extending laterally beyond the opposite sides thereof, the top of the retort being covered with rotective material, guide irons attached to t e retort at the junction formed by a relatively heavy, removable section, a guide iron carried by said section,

a metallic shield plate supported by said guide irons in contact with said section, and

a furnace and fire passage coincident with said shield plate.

6. In a retort structure, a base of refractory material, a retort supported upon the base, the middle portion of the retort being protected by the base, arches extending upward from the base toward the upper portion of the retort on each side and defining with the base longitudinally extending fire passages, a protective covering extending over the top of the retort and extending downward to the upper portions of the arches, and shield plates of heat conducting material disposed along the opposite sides of the retort and coinciding with said fire passages and extending from the base to the point of intersection of the arches and retort.

7. In a retort structure, a base of refractory material, a retort supported upon the base, the middle portion of the retort being protected by the base, arches extending upward from the base toward the upper portion of the retort on each side and defining with the base longitudinally extending fire passages, a protective covering extending over the top of the retort and extending downward to the upper portions of the arches, and shield plates of heat conducting material disposed along the opposite'sides of the retort and coinciding with said fire passages and extending from the base to the point of intersection of the arches and retort, said shield plates being formed in sections removable from one end of the retort structure. I

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

E. E. QUINKER. 

